What is the Fabric
of Life?

The things that fabric manufacturers are able to produce today amaze
me. I do not know where our cover photograph was taken as it is a purchased
slide, but I have followed my wife into fabric stores in a number of places
and have seen an amazing variety of colors, textures, and patterns. Each
fabric is a product of design at a number of levels. First of all, someone
had to secure the material of which the fabric would be made. It could
be from a plant, insect, animal, mineral, or a carefully synthesized compound
formulated by man. This material then had to be woven, knit, pressed, stretched,
pulled, pounded, or sewed into a sheet of some kind. There then had to
be color added to the fabric. This dye was carefully extracted or produced
in a laboratory to give a desired color--that was the easy part. Then the
dye had to be applied to the fabric in a way that caused it to be fully
integrated into the fabric. If this were not done carefully, the dye would
be uneven leaving splotches and irregular color. If the molecules of the
fabric and the color were not compatible, the color would come off on things
it touched. Fabric is tough stuff to produce--especially if the fabric
is good, attractive, and durable.

The fabric of life is very much the same. Life has to be planned for--not
a product of accident. A man and a woman must want to produce a new life
and put everything needed to make that life successful into it. Like most
fabrics, life starts by a designed process man can not produce himself,
and only recently has mankind begun to understand a little about how the
process operates. We now know that chemicals can produce imperfections
in a new life. As a high school inclusion teacher, I see children who have
been born to mothers whose bodies were affected by alcohol, crack, and
other substances. Planning to have a child cannot be over-emphasized, and
making sure that life has a good physical start is of considerable importance.

A new baby is like a new piece of fabric. It is perfectly clean and
pure and ready to accept whatever is to be used to color it. In the case
of a fabric, a dye must be carefully formulated and carefully added to
allow the fabric to properly bond with the dye. A child is very similar--what
the child hears, how they are treated, how and what they are taught affects
dramatically how their life will look as an adult.

The parallel between a fabric and the fabric of life continues when
things get rough. A good fabric with properly bonded dye will be able to
withstand weather, abrasion, and soiling and will continue to be attractive.
When a child reaches adulthood sin, temptation, abuse, and trouble come
along. The affect of all of this depends upon the preparation given in
childhood. Trying to dye an old fabric to look like new is very difficult.
Trying to clean up a life which has been mutilated by sin and the problems
of life is almost impossible without devine help.

The Bible continually speaks to the importance of giving children what
they need to build successful lives. Consider the following passages.

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not
turn from it.--Proverbs
22:6

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in
the training and instruction of the Lord.--Ephesians 6:4

Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.
--Colossians 3:21

...and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children,
showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble
and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.--1 Timothy 5:10

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the
truth.--3 John 1:4

The analogy between the fabric we wear and the fabric of life breaks
down when one understands the teachings of Christ. Unlike a damaged fabric
which can not be made brand new by a patch or re-weaving, a human life
can be made completely brand new by obedience to God's commands. Appropriately
referred to as rebirth, it offers a new start on life with a new
source of strength so that life becomes attractive and full.

Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell
you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today,
and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you.
--Luke 12: 27-28